Wir Werden Uns Wiedersehen
by Miss Reverie
Summary: Childhood sweethearts Armin Arlert & Annie Leonhart are separated after Armin's family are forced to flee from Nazi Germany to England. Before Armin departs, both swear that they will one day be reunited. By 1944, Armin is left with nothing but his best friend, Eren, and the two make a trip across war-torn Europe to find Annie. WWII AU setting. AruAni, Eremika, YumiKuri.
1. Chapter 1

___Es war einmal, an einem Ort, in dieser zerrissenen Welt...  
____Zwei junge unglücklichen Seelen wurden durch das Schicksal miteinander verbunden sind__..._

**June, 1937**

The grass rustled around Armin as a cool summer's breeze swept through the field, the boy looked up from the book in his lap and could see in the distance a mop of light golden hair. Closer she became, and the sight caught his breath; the feeling swelling in his heart was enough to make it feel like bursting from the confines of his chest.

_Annie Leonhart. _

He was just ten years old, she was eleven, but he was certain of the way he felt about her. Books had taught him about feelings of love and affection, and he may have been young but his mind was older than his years. The boy knew he had felt this way for a long time, but the realisation had only started to set in over this summer. He had noticed a change in Annie over the spring; she wasn't just that quiet, small girl anymore. She had bloomed into one of the most beautiful kind of flowers imaginable.

Armin kept his feelings bottled up, never daring to confess anything to her but there was always subtle hints. He mostly found an outlet through paper though; and the many letters he had written to her, the poems, the sonnets, random notes about her were all kept hidden away from her beautiful, blue eyes.

As she got even closer to where he was sitting, he could see a smile on her face. It was a small smile, almost shy; _that_ smile was reserved for him only and it always gave him confidence. Her hair was tied back in the strict style she usually had, and the pale blue cotton skirt she wore that reached to her knees exposed the bruises on her shins. Her height had always been incredibly deceiving, because Annie was a girl who was often caught up in some kind of fight with the other kids in town. In stark contrast, the way she moved was graceful, and that was also misleading; for the way she fought was the complete opposite. Armin had always envied the way she was able to defend herself, because it was something he had never been able to do.

Admiring her features as she stood before him, he smiled. She had a large aquiline nose, but it fit her face perfectly, and her eyes were the purest blue he had ever seen. They were usually disinterested any other time of the day, but brightened up just for him and he felt special because he had always been able to reach out and touch her soul in a way that nobody else could, not even her father, who she had claimed to not be on the best of terms with lately.

The blonde girl sat down beside Armin and lent her back against the tree, "Armin, can you please read to me?" she huffed softly, closing her eyes and resting her head against the trunk.

"Are you tired?" he stared at her face, her long eyelashes and pink lips, porcelain pale skin tinged ever so slightly pink, obviously flushed from the heat; it was all too much for him to take in at once.

_When did I start looking at her with those eyes? _He wondered to himself as he gazed at his childhood friend.

"Yes."

"If you want to shut your eyes for a little while, you can do it later. I w-wanted to show you something first…" Armin spoke hesitantly, watching as her lids opened again out of curiosity.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise." He rose to his feet, lending out a hand for her. She took hold of it and stood, "I think you will love it," Armin grinned, "Close your eyes."

"If you say so" her tone sounded slightly amused, and Armin knew that when Annie set eyes on what he was about to show her, she would lighten up and he would get to see her beautiful smile once again.

He led her to the place he had stumbled across earlier that morning, after his mother had told him to go into town and buy some milk. Catching sight of some of his tormentors, the boy had decided to take a detour and although it took him considerably longer, Armin was grateful because it would have been a shame if what he was about to show Annie had remained a secret.

"Can I open my eyes now?" her voice broke the silence when the two children were about halfway there.

"Be patient." Armin replied and made sure she wasn't peeping, knowing Annie, she probably had because she was one who grew tired of things quickly — that was with the exception of his books that he would read to her, and his own stories that he made up just for her.

Annie let out a sigh, but nevertheless kept her eyes shut. When they seemingly reached the destination, she heard Armin call out, "You can open your eyes now".

The girl's eyes widened a little and she stared in awe at the sight before her; a secret garden overflowing with flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes. It was beautiful. "Armin…" Annie whispered quietly, not breaking away from the captivating sight before her. Never had she seen so many flowers in one place. "How did you find this place?" she suddenly turned to him, her blue eyes were shining.

"I happened to come across it this morning. I knew that you would love it."

"You're right, as usual." At that, Annie turned her attention once more to the garden and her hand slowly fell away from Armin's. The small girl replaced her hand on the hinge of the wooden gate and pushed it open. She strolled in, but turned around to make sure that Armin was following her, "Who do you think it belongs to?" she asked, admiring her surroundings.

"Probably the person who lives in that house up there" Armin pointed in the direction.

"We're not really allowed in here then, are we? It's private property." She stated matter-of-factly, not seeming to care at all but still making the point.

"N-no, I guess not. We just have to make sure we won't get caught."

"Oh, we won't." Annie's tone was fearless and she gave him a small smile.

Armin nodded and smiled back at her, feeling reassured just by the look on her face. He watched her back as she wandered further into the garden and he could not help but feel reminded of her by the flowers, because they were pretty, delicate, small things. Armin briefly took his attention away from Annie and observed the plants, pondering on which one he would take.

_Surely the owner won't notice if I take one. I know it's stealing but others will grow in its place…_

Without further hesitation, Armin picked a single flower and held it in his hand; he then went back to observing Annie as she knelt down to inhale one of roses, Armin just stared at her and for a few moments they were both lost in the moment. That was until an old woman ruined their peace and began yelling angrily at them,

"You kids get the hell out of my garden before I come down there!"

The blond boy's head shot up to the top of the hill and he could see she was holding a wooden stick as if threatening them both. He quickly turned to Annie, his heart racing. The blonde girl was back on her feet and already rushing towards him.

"You little brats were picking my flowers, weren't you? You'll regret it." The elderly woman began to make her way towards the garden, and with no hesitation, Annie grabbed hold of Armin's hand.

"Run." She pulled Armin along with her as she ran, the boy almost tripping over his own feet at the pace Annie was moving.

"W-wait…I c-can't…A-Annie…slow…down" he huffed between breaths, struggling to keep up. However, Annie did not stop and the two kept running until they were back to the tree they were originally sat at, completely out of breath and far away from the fuming woman.

Red in the face and physically exhausted, Annie stumbled and collapsed onto the grass. Armin was dragged down along with her, and she quickly rolled onto her back. The girl let out a carefree laugh, and Armin crawled closer to her, so that he lay closely by her side. The boy closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to calm down, his face bright red and his chest absolutely heaving. For a few minutes nothing could be heard but the two panting and the wind rustling the grass and the trees around them.

After Annie had recovered, she sat up and rested against her shins. The blonde girl looked down to Armin, her pale blue eyes fixated on his face. He was still flushed, but by this point his chest was no longer moving up and down so rapidly. She continued to stare and wondered if he could sense her eyes on him. Whether or not he could, she decided to move closer, until her face was merely centimetres from his. She didn't want to break the silence by calling out his name, nor did she want to disturb him because he looked so peaceful. All of a sudden Annie found herself imaging things that had never crossed her mind before; her eyes moved downwards and she started to ogle Armin's lips. Her heart began to pound against her chest all over again, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. However, before she was able to do anything, Armin opened his eyes.

The boy had felt a shadow hovering over him, blocking out the heat and light of the sun. His eyes instantly widened when he saw how close Annie was to his face; her pale skin had flushed a darker shade of red, and she backed away, sitting up quickly and turning her head to the side. His heart had already started hammering and he too sat up.

"Um…" he mumbled, curious to why Annie was leaning so closely over him, but not finding the words to ask. Annie remained facing in the opposite direction, and then he was reminded that he was still clutching the flower he stole from the garden to give to her. "Hey, Annie…"

Slowly she turned back to him, the blush on her cheeks still present. "What?" her voice was quiet.

Armin closed the distance between them again and slowly brought a hand to her hair, at first she looked surprised, if not somewhat annoyed by his action, but when she saw the kind smile on his face she relaxed and allowed him to do what he wanted. Carefully, he untied the ribbon which kept her hair confined in a tight bun. Her golden locks fell down and rested nicely above her shoulders, framing her face beautifully.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked, bewildered.

"I always thought your hair was really pretty, and it looks much better like this." Armin stated, admiring it.

Annie subconsciously placed the loose strands behind her ears; the feeling of them brushing against her face was alien to her, "_You know_ my father doesn't like my hair loose." She whispered, and it was almost as if she was angry at him.

"But he's not here right now." Armin replied and a grin formed across his face.

"True" Annie let out a quiet laugh but it was only half-hearted. Her hand rested on the back of her neck where the hair was now covering, and she turned to look up at him again when she felt his hand on her forearm, drawing her attention once more.

"I um, picked this flower, because it reminded me of you. You see, it's beautiful, and the colour matches your eyes exactly." There was a faint redness on his cheeks as he spoke and Annie looked down at the plant that was in his hand, and then back up to his large blue eyes. She didn't say anything, instead her face heated up even more. "It's called a Forget-me-not, and legend has it that in medieval times a knight and his lady were walking by the side of a river, and he picked some flowers for her, but because of the weight of his armour, he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the flowers to her, and yelled out "Forget me not", and after that it sort of became symbolic for ladies to wear Forget-me-nots as a sign of their enduring love." Armin moved forward and carefully placed it behind her ear, "Here. I think it looks really nice like that."

Annie blushed again and brought her hand to the flower, "That's an interesting tale…"

"I think it's kind of tragic." Armin replied, the smile slowly disappearing from his face.

The girl looked down, not really knowing what else to say to her young friend. She looked back up again after a couple of moments, a silence forming between them. Her pale eyes blinked several times as she eyed Armin, it was then that she was reminded of something she had always found funny about the boy.

The blonde girl randomly grabbed hold of one of his suspenders and pulled on it, "Why do you always wear these?" she asked in a mocking but playful tone, and then released it so that it snapped back onto his chest.

"Ow…" Armin squirmed.

Annie looked at Armin's features as they filled with hurt, and she was suddenly guilt-stricken. She quickly apologised, watching him rub his chest. The girl hadn't intentionally wanted to hurt him, she was just poking fun like they always did together.

She was relieved when she saw a smile on his face again, "My clothes are too big for me, so my mum makes me wear them." Armin explained and Annie simply nodded, remembering that he was small for his age, but so was she.

There was silence for several moments and Annie started picking at the grass, looking down away from the blond boy. "Armin…" her voice was almost inaudible as she began to speak after a few moments more, and her cheeks were suddenly red again, "If you are scared that I'd somehow forget you, and you gave me this flower for that reason, you don't have to worry."

"I'm not scared, why would I be?" Armin blushed, but deep inside he _was_ scared.

_Just how many more days together like this will there be? _

Annie remained silent, and Armin shuffled awkwardly. There seemed to be a long pause and then Annie rested her back against the grass again, staring up at the sky. Armin followed suit, and their hands brushed against each other's. Unexpectedly, Annie clasped Armin's hand and his heart started to race again, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The blonde girl turned her head towards him and smiled softly, and at that moment he was curious to what was going through her mind, but instead of questioning, he simply smiled back and watched as she closed her eyes.

Armin must have stared at her sleeping form for about thirty minutes before drifting off into slumber.

* * *

"**Annie!**" the sound of a man's harsh voice called out, abruptly awaking the two. Neither Armin nor Annie was sure of the time, but judging by the colour of the sky, it looked like very late afternoon or even early evening. It was difficult to tell in the height of the summer, but the time didn't matter. Annie was in trouble, "Annie what the hell do you think you're doing!?" the voice was becoming louder, angrier, and closer.

They sat up only to find that their bodies were closely entwined, which must have occurred while they were asleep.

"Father…?" Annie called out hoarsely, her eyes wide in shock. Before either Armin or Annie could blink, she was grabbed and ripped away from the boy, the flower in her hair instantly falling to the ground. Armin quickly stood from his position on the grass and rubbed at his eyes, trying his best to take everything in. It was all happening too fast.

"What have you done to your hair!?" the man flicked Annie's golden strands with one hand, causing her to flinch; her father's other remained tightly wrapped around her arm. Annie didn't utter a word, mostly out of fear.

Armin eyed the man's uniform and instantly recognised it as the Gestapo, Hitler's secret police force that went around terrorising anyone who even slightly opposed the regime that had been put into place three years ago. The boy swallowed hard, Annie had never told him her father was in the secret police, and in all the years he had known Annie he must have seen the man a total of three times. All he had known was that the man was very strict with her, but little else.

"I told you before Annie, you're not allowed to see this boy." his voice was loud and clear against her ears, and there was already a steady stream of tears rolling down her face.

Just as Annie's father was about to pull her away, the man turned to Armin with a vicious look in his eyes, "And _you_," he hissed, "stay away from my daughter or I'll get your parents thrown into a concentration camp, understand brat?"

Armin started to shake, terrified to the core. The blond boy tried to open his mouth to speak, but no words came out and he felt despair overwhelm him; he just about managed to nod his head in response to the man's threat. Armin's blue eyes were instantly filled by tears and a couple breached the rim and leaked down his cheeks as he watched the flower that was previously in Annie's hair being trampled by her father as he proceeded to drag her away. Armin wanted to stop him, but he couldn't. He was completely helpless in the situation. Annie turned her head back to him, but Armin stood frozen in the spot, simply watching her woebegone face stained with tears as the distance grew between them.

As more tears fell from his eyes, Armin looked down to the wilting flower on the ground and cried even harder.

* * *

**Translation: Once upon a time at a place in this torn up world... Two young unfortunate souls were brought together by fate...**

**A/N: This is my first time writing a WWII AU, feedback/reviews are much appreciated! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**July, 1937 **

Hand-in-hand, the two children made their way across the field. Just like every day since they were forbidden from seeing each other, the two would sneak off to a safe place far away, where they wouldn't be caught. The heat of the summer's sun beat down on their backs, but neither decided to take rest until they reached their destination.

Letting go of Annie's hand for a brief moment, Armin climbed over a small wooden fence. The boy then aided the smaller girl over, and once she was on the other side, her hand fell into his again.

"I wish I wasn't so short." Annie mumbled, looking down and straightening out her skirt with one hand.

Her statement only caused the blond boy to laugh softly, "You're not _that_ short." He replied, giving her a grin.

"I am. I'm eleven years old and look like an eight year old." She pouted.

"Who told you that?"

"Jean Kirstein."

"Jean's not exactly an intelligent person." Armin laughed again.

"I agree." Annie couldn't help but crack a smile at her friend, the boy always managed to cheer her up and she loved him for it. A soft laugh then escaped her lips; it was a heavenly sound that rang through Armin's ears like music.

"Want to play a game?" the blond boy questioned.

Annie pondered for a moment. Then suddenly, to the boy's dismay, she let go of his hand, but only to tag him. "Catch me if you can!" she sprang away from him and he watched her become smaller as the distance stretched between them. The boy grinned again and chased after her. At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

Armin watched as Annie moved gracefully across the field, the way she ran and darted away from him was like a dance. She was beautiful. When he finally caught her, she started to chase after him. Armin ran as fast as he could but made the foolish mistake of turning around to see how close Annie was, wondering if he still had a chance. It turned out the girl was almost directly behind him.

She brought her hands to his chest and pushed him back, causing Armin to stumble. Annie laughed again and the boy fell onto the grass. He let out a yelp as his head collided with the earth, it hurt quite a bit, but the tears that had started to form in his eyes quickly evaporated when Annie sat on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "Caught you", she was grinning down at him, and he could see her pearly white teeth.

Armin's face quickly flushed red and his heart started to race, "A-Annie?" The girl just stared at him, her blue eyes shining, her cheeks tinged with red, "W-What if your father sees us?" he finally stuttered out, it would be a disaster if her father was to catch the two like this.

"We're far away from my father and everyone, remember?" Annie responded, but nevertheless rolled off of him, "How would he ever find out?"

"Oh y-yeah." Armin let out a strained laugh.

Annie only frowned at him, but it was only for a moment. Her features quickly softened again, "Trust me." She looked into his eyes.

"…I trust you." He finally said and gave her a small smile in return.

Annie's lips curved upwards and she jumped to her feet, "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'll count first, you hide." Armin's large blue eyes blinked up at her from his position on the grass, "Well," she huffed, "What are you waiting for?" the boy quickly brought himself to his feet, forgetting his troubles once again. Annie's hands covered her eyes and she began counting.

An hour must have passed by, and the two finally grew tired of the game.

"Should we play something else?" Annie asked, but Armin shook his head. He rested his back against a tree and closed his eyes, the blonde girl sighed and stood up. She walked towards Armin and sat down beside him, her head rested against his shoulder, and the young boy's eyes shot open. He felt his face heat up at the contact; it was nice being so close to her, feeling her body against his.

The two rested like that for some time, and Annie began to hum softly to herself. The sound was soothing, but it did little to settle Armin's raging heart, and he suddenly felt himself become overwhelmed again. The secret he had been hiding from her ever since the ordeal began was eating away at him. What if one day he disappeared without reason? He didn't want to put Annie through that, the boy knew he _had_ to tell her.

"H-hey, Annie…" Armin addressed the blonde, breaking the silence.

"Mhm?" she didn't raise her head and instead started to absent-mindedly pick daisies from the grass.

"I need to tell you s-something." Armin suddenly blurted; the boy began to fidget and Annie finally pulled back.

"Go ahead." She watched him carefully, giving him her full attention.

"You have to p-promise you won't tell anyone…" Armin's large eyes conveyed the trust that he poured into her, and after another couple of seconds she nodded her head.

"I promise." Her eyes looked suspicious, curious, but also vaguely anxious. Annie could almost smell the fear coming from the boy and it unsettled her. It took him a while to gather the courage to tell her what was on his mind, and after letting out a heavy breath, Armin finally spoke.

"M-my grandfather is Jewish." the boy took in another breath and held it; he was quick to analyse Annie's facial expression. He wasn't sure what to expect from her. At first, Armin watched as her eyes widened for a brief moment, she then quickly broke eye-contact and looked down to the ground. It seemed like a lifetime before Annie finally replied.

"I see." Was all she said, and Armin didn't know what to think. He didn't know what she was thinking, either. Both of them knew what this meant; it meant that if anyone ever found out, Armin, along with his family would be sent away forever. "I won't tell." Annie finally added, Armin's heart beat gained pace at her words, relieved.

"He's not a practising Jew, t-though…but, my family are really worried…" Armin said quietly, his eyes on the flowers in Annie's hands.

"I understand." Annie whispered. Armin continued to stare at her, a nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He knew she couldn't fully understand, because she didn't have Jewish blood, she was different. Moments later, Annie stood up from her position on the grass and Armin watched her skirt flow around her legs as a breeze passed over them. Her facial expression was unreadable, and it made his heart feel heavy in his chest, "I had better go back now," she said quietly, her eyes failing to meet his.

Armin nodded saying goodbye, and watched her back as she left him to return to her father.

_Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything…_

* * *

"If you are caught with me, you know it won't end well." Armin said uneasily a few days later, watching as Annie picked the grass beneath her. She wasn't even looking at him and he felt sick. It seemed as if she hated him now.

"But I want to see you." Was her curt reply, she didn't bother to look up at him as she spoke, and Armin felt his heart contort.

"But your father…" hearing those words, Annie's head shot up and her blue eyes narrowed, the glare on her face made him feel instantly intimidated. He hadn't realised her soft features were even capable of turning so sharp and vicious looking.

"I've told you before, Armin. I don't care what he says; I don't care what _anyone _says. I don't care if your grandfather is Jewish, either." she snapped and he flinched.

She was never like this with him. Maybe it was because she knew the truth about him now. He was different from her, and it was unfair. The Führer had stripped him of his identity and he wasn't even Jewish. The boy had heard his parents talking about it in hushed whispers, trying to protect his young ears from hearing anything, but Armin _knew_. The boy was smart, he only had to pick up a book or listen to the wireless. The words Armin had been dreading for a long time were finally spoken the night before last, as he listened to his parents from his bedroom. He was supposed to be asleep, but he heard every word. They had said how they would leave. They had no choice, and Armin had no choice but to tell Annie, but every time he tried, he found himself lost for words.

For several moments neither of them said anything, and Armin just continued to stare at the girl, only wishing that fate had been kinder to them. He regretted mentioning anything to her, and he wondered what kind of poison her father was feeding her about people like him. She had been acting off with him ever since he told her about his grandfather. Their time together was growing shorter by the day, and Armin did not want to spend his remaining days with the girl he loved so much in a harrowing silence.

"Annie, please come and sit in the shade with me, I can see your nose burning…" the boy said softly with frown on his face, noticing her pale skin turning red under the heat of the sun.

Annie looked up at him, her eyes tired. She slowly walked towards him and sat down; her legs were instantly brought up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her shins tightly, and her head rested against the top of her knees.

"What's wrong?" Armin asked quietly, his heart felt uncomfortable in his chest and his breathing was becoming strained.

There was silence.

"Annie…" the boy dared himself to scoot closer to her, but not close enough to touch. "Annie, _please_…talk to me."

It was a long while before Annie spoke. When she did, her voice was barely above a whisper, "I just want things to go back to how they used to be."

Armin let out a heavy sigh, "Me, too." he looked down, and watched as Annie began to rip apart a daisy that was in her hand.

_I can't tell her when she's like this. _

* * *

"A-Annie…I'm leaving." The words Armin had been dying to say, and yet dreading all the same, finally tumbled from his mouth. His voice had cracked, and as expected, tears were already spilling down his face. Annie turned to him, her mouth opened yet no sound came out. She turned away again quickly and her golden bangs fell in front of her face. Armin went to brush the piece of hair away so that he could see her face again, but she suddenly slapped his hand away, this caused him to choke on a sob.

Annie bit back the urge to cry and stood up abruptly, her teary eyes and red face made his stomach twist and heart sink. He could see how upset she was, her face was full of sorrow and anger. Before he could say anything more, she ran off, leaving him under the tree. The boy panicked and quickly wiped away his tears, "W-wait!", He ran after her, his heart pounding against his chest and vision becoming a blurry mess. Unfortunately, she was much faster than he was, and always had been. Armin called out her name desperately, but it was hopeless.

Eventually, he found her in an old barn house. The sound of quiet sobbing had drawn him to it; Armin's heart lurched in his chest when he saw her sitting amongst the hay. Her hands were covering her face as she cried.

"I'm sorry," he sniffed, wiping away any tears that were on his face with his sleeve.

At the sound of Armin's voice, Annie's head shot up. Her face was all red, and her eyes were puffy from crying. She continued to sob, seemingly no longer caring about trying to hide from him. The boy slowly approached her, and when he realised she wasn't about to run off again, he sat beside her. He wiped away her tears, but they just kept falling. He had only ever seen her cry once before, which was just over a month ago. She was so distraught, and it made him even more anxious. For some time, nothing could be heard except for Annie sniffing and hiccuping, the boy was unable to think of the right words to say.

"I…I don't want you to leave…" the blonde girl finally whispered.

"I don't w-want to either, but I h-have to…you know why." Armin's voice was even quieter than hers.

"I know," Annie's eyebrows scrunched together, "It's because of my father, and men who share his opinions. It's because of the Führer. Because your grandfather is Jewish…" she rambled, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

"Y-yes…" Armin was now crying again himself, unable to hold it back.

"Oh, I really don't want you to go Armin," Annie cried, "I don't have anyone else…" her whole body shook as she sobbed.

"Y-you have your f-father, who l-loves you…" Armin reasoned, trying his best to make the girl feel better but knowing it would fail. There was simply nothing that could be said.

She only cried harder.

"When are you leaving?" the girl finally brought herself to ask, after forcing herself to calm down.

"T-tomorrow…"

"_Tomorrow_!? But that's too soon." There was a pause, and she rubbed her temples in frustration, "…Where are you going?"

"England."

"Will I ever see you again?" Annie turned to him; eyes desperate, thin brows sloped upwards in despair.

Armin felt a lump forming in his throat again; he nodded his head and swallowed, "Yes, o-one day." The blonde girl just stared at him; Armin could see the doubt in her beautiful eyes, not fully believing they'd ever see each other again. Armin felt more tears fall and he leaned forward, embracing the girl in a tight hug. She returned it, stuffing her face into his shoulder. When they finally let go, his shoulder was damp from all the tears she spilt. She wiped the remaining tears away from her cheeks, and their eyes met. "A-Annie…can you meet me at dawn tomorrow…b-before I leave? I have something I want to g-give to you before I go…"

The girl nodded slowly, "Where…should I meet you?"

Armin's eyes briefly scanned over the barn house, "How about here?"

"Alright."

* * *

Slightly before sunrise the following day, Armin sneaked out and made his way to the barn house where he had told Annie to meet him.

The grass was fresh with morning dew, which caused his ankles to become wet as he walked. He shivered slightly, the nip in the early breeze getting to him. In one hand, he clutched an envelope containing all of the poems and letters he wrote for the girl, but had never had the courage to give to her. Of course, it was now a matter of now or never. In the other hand, he held a forget-me-not, which he stole on his detour to the barn. His plan was to confess his love for her, and give her something to remember him by.

The blond boy let out a sigh, breathing in the scent of the field and admiring his surroundings for one last time as the morning sun touched the nature he had always thought was wonderful. He would be in a different country, far away from the beauty of his hometown by the evening. His heart weighed heavy in his chest, and he blinked frequently to prevent himself from crying. The last think he wanted was to show weakness.

When Armin reached the barn house, he took a peek through a gap between the planks of wood. The low rays of light shone through the cracks and he could see Annie's pure golden hair, she looked like an angel. He had always loved her hair, and in the morning light it looked even more flattering. He took all of her in, admiring her beauty. He wanted to capture and preserve the moment forever. Stepping away from the crack, he finally decided to enter the barn; after all, time was not on his side.

Annie turned to him, a solemn expression on her face. She seemed paler than usual, her eyes even more tired. Yet, to him, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and probably ever would see. The girl stood and they walked towards each other, stopping when there was only a small space left between them.

Armin looked down to her, finding it hard to speak. _This is it, _he thought to himself bitterly, knowing he would never get to watch her grow into a woman. "I..." he began, but was once again lost for words. Annie waited patiently, her expression becoming more pained by the minute. "I love you, A-Annie." His voice cracked again, and Armin frowned. He felt the tears prickle in his eyes and spill over his cheeks. _Why couldn't I be brave for her, just one time? Why must I always show my weakness and cry?_

Hearing his words, hot tears began to stream down Annie's face, "I love you too." Her voice was quiet, but sturdy.

Armin's large eyes widened for a second, and he felt heat pool to his cheeks. The boy quickly made a futile attempt to wipe away his tears, and then handed her the envelope, "I um, wrote these poems for you, there's some letters too. Please read them. O-oh, and a forget-me-not. Please, don't f-forget me…"

The blonde looked down to Armin's shaky hands and took both the envelope and the flower from him, not bothering to wipe away her own tears. "Thank you. And I told you before, I could never forget you."

Armin's mouth parted for a moment and he sniffed and wiped his nose. "I'll try and write to you…"

Annie nodded, "Promise me we will meet again?"

"I promise. I promise I'll come back for you." Armin sniffed once more, but managed to smile through his heartbreak. There was silence between them, and a small, sad smile found its way to Annie's face. It was all Armin needed and he took a step back, ready to leave, "G-good bye, Annie."

"Wait," Annie raised her voice, and Armin made no further advance to leave. He stood still, waiting for her to speak. Instead of speaking, she stepped forward and pressed her lips against his in a very light and brief kiss. Armin felt the blood rush to his face, and his heart picked up pace. The girl took a step back again, her cheeks suddenly rosy red. She then removed the silver ring that she always wore from around her finger, Armin gasped at the realisation of what she was doing. "Here," she held it out to him. He refused to accept it.

"W-what are you doing…?" He stuttered, shocked. Armin knew the ring had belonged to Annie's mother, who had passed away when she was a young child. The ring was the most important thing to her, or so Armin had thought.

The blonde girl only looked down to the forget-me-not in her hand, and stared at it for several moments.

"A flower without sunshine will wilt and is doomed to die. For me, only you were able to provide that sunshine. " Annie looked back up to Armin, their eyes meeting each other's once again, "You can return the ring to me when we meet again, this can be the thing that connects us while we're apart." She explained. The blonde girl took hold of Armin's hand and placed the ring into his palm, closing his fingers over it with her own.

Armin let out a sound of surprise, but tightened his grasp around the piece of jewellery. His brows furrowed, and he looked at Annie deeply for a long moment.

"Until we meet again." He finally said, and even though Annie looked beautiful when she cried, he tried his best to ignore the steady stream of tears that had started to flow down her face once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**December, 1938 **

Torn away from the warmth of his dreams by reality, Armin shivered as he woke up. He had been dreaming of the summer days he had spent with the girl he had been dreaming of ever since he had to leave her behind. The dreams gave him mixed feelings, of happiness, longing and sadness all combined. A part of him was thankful, for his dreams were the only place where he would see the girl. However, they also made him feel terribly homesick. There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't feel that way, it wasn't because London was a bad town, but it wasn't the place he called home.

The boy sat up, and noticed a wet patch on the sofa where he had been dribbling in his sleep again. He looked around the living room which was dusty and cluttered with books as usual. The air was stale, but he didn't really want to open a window because it was far too cold outside. The only sound that could be heard throughout the small house was the ticking of the clock on the mantel piece; his father was out, and the absence of his grandfather meant that he must have gone into town to visit the library. Armin looked to the clock, straining his eyes in order to try and decipher what the time was.

It was just past two in the afternoon, and he realised he must have dropped off over an hour ago while reading one of his favourite books. Although he always loved reading, he found himself to be very lonely; books were now his only friends. Despite living in London for over a year, he had failed to make a single proper friend. He loved school, but only because he enjoyed learning. At first, he had been anxious about going, because he was unable to speak English. Fortunately, he had picked up on the language very quickly, thankful for the fact that it was similar to his mother tongue. The teachers seemed to adore him, and praised him for being a fast learner. They had also deemed him to be one of, if not the smartest child in the school.

However, the students didn't seem to like him. He was often subject to bullying, mostly for being the 'teacher's pet' or at first, 'the new kid'. His German accent still lingered too, and Armin was also very quiet and shy, for these reasons also, the kids would often poke fun at him. Being rejected by his peers had caused his esteem to plummet even further. He had always been a target for bullies even back in his hometown, but at least things had been better then, since he wasn't completely alone. Needless to say, the boy was feeling extremely miserable.

It did not help that other factors in his life were contributing to that feeling. His mother had become seriously ill in September, and it seemed like she was only getting worse. She was currently upstairs, almost completely bedridden due to her sickness. She hadn't been eating properly, and was becoming thinner by the day. The young boy didn't know what to do, nor did his father or grandfather. For the last couple of months, they had been desperately trying to find a good doctor. None of the doctors who had been hired knew what was wrong, and they hadn't even been able to provide a way of making the pain any more tolerable for the woman. He supposed it didn't help that his mother could only communicate with the doctors in broken English. She had never learnt the language; after all, she had never imagined she would have to flee from her homeland for the sake of her family. Armin's father was able to translate some of the time, but he was a writer and therefore often busy at work. His grandfather continued to do his best to research at the library what could be wrong, but so far, he had had no such luck.

Armin let out a sigh and trotted into the kitchen, thinking it was a good time to make something to eat for his sick mother. He made tea and put together soup with bread, knowing that she would only be able to consume something light. When finished preparing the meal, he carried it upstairs on a tray and knocked once, he called out to let her know he was about to enter and then pushed the door open gently, balancing the tray in one hand. His mother was already sitting up in bed, and she gave him a weak smile as he stepped in.

The boy had inherited most of his mother's features, her small nose that sloped upwards, extremely large eyes, and petite frame. However, her eyes and hair were darker than his. Her beautiful auburn hair was now limp around her shoulders, it was usually very thick and wavy. Armin also noticed the dark circles under her eyes and couldn't help but frown; he felt so helpless watching his mother deteriorate like this. He missed the light in her eyes, and the redness in her cheeks. It was as if she was fading away completely, and he felt awful.

Armin placed the tray of food on the bedside table, and brought the chair from the dresser to the side of the bed to sit down, "I thought you would like something to eat," His mother nodded and gave him another weak smile. Armin handed her the cup of tea and he noticed how her hands where shaking as she held it, the motion caused some of the beverage to spill over the edge and onto the bed sheets, "Mama, are you alright?" he questioned worriedly.

"Yes, I'm just very…tired." she let out a sigh and closed her eyes while bringing the cup to her lips.

There was a long silence and Armin began to feel more and more concerned, "You will get better." he suddenly whispered to her.

Her golden brown eyes opened again and she set the cup aside, "Hopefully." There was a faint smile on her face, and she took hold of Armin's hand that had been resting in his lap. He winced ever so slightly at the contact, because she was stone cold.

"You _will_. We'll find you a good doctor." Armin felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes and he tried desperately to blink them back, but to no avail.

His mother nodded, "Don't cry, Spätzchen (little sparrow)." She brought her other hand to wipe away the tears that had already made their way down her son's cheeks.

Armin only frowned.

_I hate feeling so useless and helpless. I don't want to cry. I don't want to show how scared I am. She needs me right now. Why must I always be so weak—? _

The boy's thoughts were suddenly derailed at the sound of a knock on the door. His father — a man of average height, who wore glasses, and was blond-haired and blue-eyed just like his son, stepped inside. Behind him, there was another man, a bit taller, darker haired and also wearing glasses.

"Frieda, Armin," Armin's father greeted both his wife and son, "I've found a man who might be able to help."

"Hello, Mrs Arlert." the taller man's eyes rested on the women in bed and then moved to the boy next to her, "Armin," he smiled, "I am Dr Grisha Yeager. It's nice to meet you." He approached the red-haired woman and held out his hand, she took hold of it.

"Doctor." her accent was heavy and she clasped his hand tightly, desperately, almost as if the man was her last hope. Dr Yeager then turned to Armin who was still in the seat beside the bed.

Armin quickly stood, "Pleasure to meet you, sir." he held out his hand and Grisha Yeager shook it.

"You too, Armin." He smiled kindly; the doctor then placed his large medical bag on the seat Armin had been sitting on and spoke again, "Right now, let's see what I can do for you, Mrs Arlert."

In order for Armin's mother to understand what the doctor had said, his father quickly translated from English to German. Armin decided to leave the room, thinking it was best that his parents and the doctor had some privacy. He felt his father give him a gentle pat on the shoulder on the way out, and the boy only turned back to give him a smile. Armin could now only hope and pray that this doctor would be able to help his mother.

As he neared the bottom of the stairs, he heard movement coming from the kitchen. Concluding that his grandfather must have returned from the library, he rushed to tell him the news.

"Grandpa I—"Armin began, but suddenly stopped, realising that the person in the kitchen was most definitely not his grandfather, "Oh". A boy slightly taller than himself, with dark brown hair turned around. His eyes were a unique turquoise and his facial expression looked surprised and awkward, he obviously felt equally uncomfortable about the other's presence, "Sorry but, w-who are you?" Armin asked, suddenly flustered. He was not expecting a stranger to be standing in his kitchen to say the least.

"Uh, hello," The brunet boy spoke, "I'm sorry…uh, your father told me I could help myself to something to eat or drink." He walked towards Armin and held out a hand, "I'm Eren Yeager, Dr Yeager's son."

Armin nodded slowly, allowing everything to sink in and then returned the gesture. He figured his father must have forgotten to mention that Dr Yeager had a son. "I'm Armin Arlert." He replied, smiling softly at the boy.

"I'm…really sorry about your mother," Eren turned his head slightly to the side, once again feeling awkward. Armin just shook his head.

"M-may I ask why you came along with your father?"

"Oh, well, my mum is busy. She told my father to keep an eye on me, but he got an urgent call and so I had to come with him."

"I understand. It's just unusual for a doctor to bring someone other than a nurse." Armin let out an awkward laugh.

"How many doctors have visited so far?" Eren questioned.

"Um, well, let's see…uh," Armin had to make a mental count of how many had come by the house before, "Around seven or eight."

"Don't worry. My father is best in town, I'm sure he'll be able to help." Eren grinned confidently.

"I really hope so!" Armin smiled, truly hopeful for the first time in a long time.

"Where are you from? Your accent is not from around here." Eren suddenly asked, picking up on it.

"Bavaria, Germany. A small town called Rothenburg ob der Tauber, actually." Armin said proudly, though he doubted Eren had heard of it.

"Germany? My father's roots lie in Germany and Russia." Eren stated, "My last name is German in origin. You probably noticed."

Armin nodded while smiling, "It means hunter."

"Yeah!" Eren beamed, "So, tell me Armin. Why did you and your family decide to move to London?"

"Um, well, it's a long story." Armin looked down and shuffled his feet.

"Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere just yet." Eren encouraged, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"T-true" Armin smiled, feeling happy that the boy was actually interested; after all, most people weren't. The blond joined Eren at the table taking a seat opposite, "My grandfather, my mother's father, is Jewish. A-and well, it's just that Germany is not exactly a safe place for J-Jews right now. W-well, it hasn't been a safe place for a long time, ever since Hitler declared himself Führer. So, before it got worse, last year, my parents decided to leave with my grandpa. I-I was once even threatened, b-but I would rather not talk about that." Armin felt himself become nervous at the memory, and he felt his stomach and heart twist painfully.

Eren frowned, "I don't quite understand" he admitted.

"Do you not know?" Eren shook his head and Armin was surprised by the boy's ignorance, but he quickly realised that he was being unreasonable for expecting Eren to know anything.

_How would he know? It's only the people living in Germany that know of this, the rest of the world is oblivious to the true nature of the man who rules over my homeland. If not oblivious, they sure do not want any involvement. _

"I heard the news on the wireless that Hitler has already taken Austria. Every European power has turned a blind eye, and there is no doubt he'll take over another country in the near future. He already has his mind set on Czechoslovakia, from what I've read and heard." Armin tried hard but couldn't hide his anger, it was because of Hitler that he and his family were forced to leave everything behind. Eren just blinked, not knowing what to say. "I really think there is going to be a war soon." Armin was one again looking down again, fear consuming his heart.

"W-war?" Eren choked out, completely stumped.

Armin nodded, "I hope not, but I have a horrible feeling about it…if he is not stopped…"

The darker haired boy only swallowed, once again lost for words. Silence followed.

"…I don't think there will be _another_ war. Not after the Great War." Eren finally said, nodding his head, fully confident in the conclusion he had drawn.

"How can you be so sure?" Armin questioned, feeling sceptical but not wanting to refute what Eren was saying.

"I know it was before we were born, but your parents will remember the Great War, like mine do. Just ask them and they'll tell you that there won't be another war. Not in our life time, that's for sure."

"I know how terrible it was; my grandpa was a soldier in the war and he told me about it. But, this time, if there's a war…it will be different."

"How?" Armin could hear the irritation in Eren's voice and cringed slightly. He had not wanted to argue.

"The world has c-changed since then."

"It was just over twenty years ago, I doubt the world has changed _that_ much."

Not wanting to argue anymore with the boy, Armin just nodded, "I s-suppose you're right."

"You shouldn't worry about that type of thing." Eren added.

"Y-yeah." _How can I not worry when the girl I love would be in the middle of it all if something like that was to happen?_

"Where do you go to school? And, how old are you?" Eren suddenly asked, which snapped Armin away from his thoughts.

"Oh um, I just turned twelve in November and I go to the school just slightly down the road, opposite the big park."

"I go to that school too! Why have I never seen you before?" Armin shrugged, but smiled. "I'll be twelve in March, by the way." Eren added.

"Now that I think about it…you do seem familiar. B-but our school is very large, much larger than my old one in Germany which was actually very small. I've noticed how there are several classes for each age group alone, each one set according to ability—"

"I _know_." Eren quickly muttered, silencing the blond boy before he could finish his sentence. Eren's cheeks had flushed red, he seemed embarrassed or even angry, and Armin couldn't tell which of the two emotions he felt more strongly. The dark haired boy looked up at Armin, and noticed the surprised look on his face, "I'm not that smart." he added quietly.

"I would never judge you, or anyone, for something like that." Armin quickly assured.

"I'm in the lowest class…I also don't have a lot of friends…" Eren looked down again, eyebrows brought together in a frown and cheeks still red.

"I d-don't really have any friends either." Armin decided against mentioning that he was in the top class. He knew Eren would feel insecure knowing that little detail.

"Well, you have me…If you want." The boy still looked vaguely embarrassed, but there was a friendly, eagerness in his eyes.

Armin's heartbeat suddenly escalated, he nodded, and a huge smile formed on his face, "Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

**A/N: Before anyone tries to correct me on the spelling of Eren's last name (which is actually how it is spelt in canon, but anyway) I know. I know that most people in the fandom spell it as 'Jaeger', but for this story I decided to spell it as 'Yeager' because since Eren is living in England, I assumed his last name would have been Anglicised (in the past many people's name were, and I know this for a fact because some of my ancestors were from Italy) **

_**Just a few more notes:**_

**I refer to the radio as 'wireless' because that's the old term for it which would have been used during this time period. **

**I gave Armin's mother the name 'Frieda' because I think it's a really beautiful name, and it's quite common in Germany (I think?) It's possibly more common in Scandinavia though, but I know that this is the German spelling of it. **

**I did some research on German pet-names for children and found 'Spätzchen' which I thought was quite cute, it's also quite old-fashioned too. **

**Anyway, I think that is all I have to say about this chapter. Please leave reviews! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**September, 1939 **

Annie, completely engrossed by one of the books she had loved to read with Armin, was not paying attention to anything else around her. Earlier she had turned on the wireless to listen to music; it always seemed to keep her calm and relaxed. However, her father had destroyed the peace she had managed to achieve. The man stepped in and turned the radio dial, causing a very loud static sound as he flicked through the different channels. When he finally landed on the station he was looking for, the words that were being spoken made Annie's stomach flip.

Her father turned to her, "Are you alright, Annie?" he questioned. He was not used to his daughter portraying emotion, especially in the last couple of years. Annie remained silent. "Are you worried about your father?"

Annie bit her lip and slowly nodded.

"Don't you worry about a thing," he came over to her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, "We will be victorious."

Once again, Annie said nothing. Her father straightened out his jacket and left the room after announcing he had his duties to fulfil; the blonde quickly stepped up and turned off the wireless, not wanting to hear anything more. She went upstairs to her bedroom and sat on top of the window ledge, curling her legs up to her chest and staring at the world outside. At a time like this, she couldn't help but think of Armin Arlert. He had told her he would write, but she had never received anything. Had he already forgotten about her? She was sure it wasn't like him to forget or lie to her. Thinking back on the incredibly lonesome days shortly after he left, she remembered the conversation she had had with her father.

"_Come on Annie, eat up your soup. You're not going to grow stronger by eating nothing."_

_"I'm not hungry."_

_"Do as you're told."_

_Annie reluctantly complied, not wanting her father to start shouting. There was a long silence at the table until her father spoke up again, "You can stop moping for the little boy you used to play with, he was sent to a ghetto where he will be with others of his kind."_

_Annie placed her spoon down on the wooden table and looked directly up at her father for the first time that evening, "You're lying" her mouth had opened before she had time to think, she panicked._

_Her father twitched, "What did you say?"_

_Annie shook her head, "Nothing." she mumbled, her eyes looking down at her soup, her heart thumping._

_"I personally made sure that Armin Arlert, along with his family, was sent away. They didn't belong here, and I'm glad you are not exposed to that kind of filth anymore." Annie began to shake, she wondered why her father would lie about something like this to her. "It's for the best, sweet heart."_

_She nodded her head, not knowing what to really think or believe, but being smart enough to know to obey and agree with whatever her father told her._

Two years down the line and with every day that went by, another ounce of hope was lost. Armin would most likely never return to her. He would never come back, and they would never meet again. Annie was coming to terms with the fact that in the end, she only had her father.

* * *

_Dearest, Annie,_

_Mother passed away, and father has left for Africa. I only have Grandpa and my best friend, Eren Yeager, now. I want to see you; I wonder how you are doing. I haven't forgotten about you. I hope you are well. Have you grown? Has your hair gotten any longer? How is your father? I know it is pointless writing to you now; I have been trying for the past two years and not a single reply came back. I am not sure if you receive the letters or not, but if you do I want you to know that I still love you, and I will come back for you. I would never break my promise to you. We will meet again; _

Armin paused briefly to turn on the wireless; he would usually listen to the device while writing or reading, classical music was his first choice. Looking out of his window and pondering on what to write next, he heard the Prime Minister starting to talk, and he looked down to his paper once again.

"_**This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a **__**final Note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were **__**prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would **__**exist between us."**_

The boy quickly ceased writing to turn the dial on the wireless up, his heart thudded hard against his chest.

"_**I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that **__**consequently this country is at war with Germany."**_

From that moment, time seemed to freeze and Armin's hearing went fuzzy. All he could hear was his own heartbeat in his ears, and his breathing turned heavy. "War…?"The boy's voice came out barely above a whisper and he shook his head; in his heart, he had known it would occur all along, but had hoped it would never actually happen; now that it was confirmed, it felt almost surreal.

"_**Now may God bless you all. May He defend the right. It is the evil things that we **__**shall be fighting against - brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and **__**persecution - and against them I am certain that the right will prevail."**_

Armin was visibly shaking by this point and stood up from his seat suddenly, causing the chair to fall backwards to the ground. He ran out of his bedroom and down the stairs to find his grandfather.

* * *

A few weeks later, Armin happened to overhear Eren and his mother yelling. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, and had been taught that it was rude to do so, but he couldn't help it. He supposed he could have just left the books he was returning on the doorstep, but what he heard had frightened him and left him frozen on the spot.

"Do as you're told for once, for God sake Eren!" Carla Yeager screamed and Armin flinched from behind the door.

"I'm not going away. You can't force me!" the brunet yelled back.

"Eren," Mrs Yeager sounded exhausted, "You are twelve years old. Kids your age are still allowed to be evacuated from the city to safety. Soon, you'll be too old…you'll…" her voice cracked, and Armin bit down on his lip.

"I'm not going." Eren sounded defiant as ever. Armin knew how stubborn his best friend could be.

"You will do as I say," Carla raised her voice again, but she was growing weaker, more tired. She was losing the battle.

"I'm not going to the countryside like some coward, I'm going to be a solider and you can't stop me." Eren shouted and Armin heard footsteps stomping up the stairs. He sighed, Eren was of course too young to join the army, but God only knew how long the war would go on for; for all Armin knew, and what he predicted, it would go on at least two years.

The young blond boy decided against knocking on the Yeager's front door at a time like this, and in the end just left the books on the doorstep and walked away, like he should have in the first place.

When Armin got back home, his grandfather was in the kitchen; a delicious and sentimental meal was set on the table.

"You're finally back, I was a little worried." he spoke, watching as Armin removed his shoes and sat down at the table.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I had to return Eren's books on my way home from the library."

"It's fine; did you manage to get them back to him alright?"

"Not exactly, I…I heard him arguing with his mother _again_." Armin sighed.

Armin's grandfather closed his eyes and shook his head, "He should really learn to respect his mother." he finally said, sitting down opposite his grandson.

Armin nodded, suddenly feeling the emptiness and longing overwhelm him again; it was enough to destroy his appetite. He missed his mother, desperately. He missed his father, too.

Although Armin was eternally grateful to Dr Yeager who had managed to at least make the last few months of his mother's life bearable, it had not been enough to keep her alive, and that's all the boy had really wanted. She had an extremely rare condition of the heart, a virus, Grisha Yeager had said, and unfortunately there was no cure. It made her weaker by the day, tired, grouchy sometimes, but she had tried her best to remain kind to her son despite what she was going through. She passed away in May, and Armin had not been the same since, even though he had known it was coming. He was positive he had become thinner from not eating nearly enough, despite his grandfather cooking delicious meals all the time and forcing the boy to try and eat, and he became more studious, not that he wasn't already that way before; Armin felt that books were the only cure, they distracted him from thinking too much about anything.

"_My darling child, I love you so much, never forget that."_

Those were his mother's last words, he would never forget them, or her, the warm hugs, the kisses on the end of his nose and cheeks right before bed, her cooking, or the way she would read to him; everything was treasured in his memory. Never to be forgotten, as long as he lived.

The boy understandably, felt as if he had lost everything. Little over two years ago he had been forced to leave his home, and leave Annie behind. Two years later, cruel fate struck again, taking his mother away from him and leaving him with his grandfather and father. However, in another twist, shortly after his mother's death, his father decided to go to Africa to 'write a book'; the man had not taken the death of his wife very well and was grieving.

"_I need an escape, an adventure, a breath of fresh air."_ He had said.

His father had asked Armin to go with him on his trip, but Armin had refused. He couldn't leave his grandfather behind who had just lost his only daughter, and he didn't want to leave school, either. In the end, the man left alone, and had not been heard of since. A few letters had arrived, but in the last month or so, not one single letter had come through the letter box. The wise child knew that now war had been officially declared, he strongly doubted his father would ever return to Europe.

Armin had already lost so much, he was sure he wouldn't be able to cope with anything else. He lived on edge, constantly waiting to hear something, _anything_, from either his childhood sweetheart, or his father. During the day he would distract himself with his studies, by night he would find himself sobbing into his pillow. Now that England was at war with Germany, he would no longer even be able to send letters to Annie like he had been doing for the past couple of years. He had never been disheartened by the fact that he never received a reply, but he did deeply worry for the girl. All he could do was hope, and pray that God would spare him this _one_ thing in his life, his reason for living, and allow him to fulfil his promise. All he really wanted was to be with Annie, as stupid as it sounded at this point.

As more weeks went by, there didn't even seem to be much of a war happening. However, Eren's father had quickly been sent away to serve as a doctor abroad. This put more strain on Carla Yeager, and Armin felt as if he needed to talk to Eren about it.

"You shouldn't put so much stress on your mother, Eren." the blond said as they walked back home from school together.

"She doesn't understand…" Eren muttered, glaring at the pavement.

"She is your mother, of course she understands."

"You don't know _anything_ about it, Armin." the taller boy raised his voice, causing Armin to flinch.

"You c-can't go to war right now. You're far too young; you should put your mother's mind at rest…and go to the countryside."

Eren stopped in his tracks and turned to face Armin abruptly, his turquoise eyes were full of rage, "Why don't _you _go to the countryside? Stop telling me what I can and can't do. You're _supposed_ to be on my side, you're my best friend after all."

"You know why I won't go," Armin rebutted quickly, knowing he could never leave his grandfather behind even if living in London during a war was dangerous.

"Do you plan on becoming a soldier when you are of age?"

"N-no."

"What _do_ you plan to do then!?"

"I…" Armin trailed off; thinking about the promise that was most important to him, "…I don't recall ever telling you about Annie Leonhart before," his voice was quiet as he spoke.

"Annie Leonhart?"

"Y-yes, I made a promise to her. I promised we would meet again one day."

"No, you've never mentioned her. Is she important to you?"

"Very. I'm in love with her." Armin felt his cheeks blush. He had never spoken aloud about Annie before to anyone, not even his grandfather or his mother before she passed.

"And she is in Germany?" Armin simply nodded in response, "Well, the way I see it, you're a coward if you don't fight. You had to leave your home town all thanks to Hitler's regime, right? And you're just going to sit back and do nothing about that?"

"W-what can I do?" Armin could feel hurt swirling inside of him and he started blinking rapidly in an attempt to refrain from crying.

"You can fight."

Armin didn't say anything; he didn't know how what to. The two boys walked on the path back home in silence, until Armin had to turn down his own street, while Eren had to continue straight ahead. Before separating, Armin addressed his friend once more,

"Eren, I don't want you to go to the countryside, but please think about it. Your mother loves you and cares about you; you should do what is best for her and yourself." he spoke quietly, and Eren turned to him again.

"I know why you are like this, I know why you're saying it; it's because your mother died. I'm sorry about that, really I am. I regret that my father was unable to save her. But, you can't make me leave, no matter what you say. Stop trying."

Eren's words stung Armin, but he knew what his friend was like. Stubborn — once the brunet got an idea in his mind, there was no changing that, no matter how much he was persuaded or pleaded with. Over the past two years, Armin had learnt that there were certain things he could do to twist Eren's mind-set, but with something like this, something he felt so strongly about, there was no hope.

"If you want to see Annie Leonhart again, the girl you claim to love, then you will have to fight for her." Eren added before walking on straight ahead, living Armin standing alone in the middle of the street.

Slowly Armin nodded, realising that it was the only option. Whatever was to come his way, he would get through it; he would fight, and then one day, for sure, he would be reunited with the girl he was forced to leave behind.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long delay with this chapter, but I've not had much time to write because of work and also Aruani week was a couple of weeks back. Hopefully the next chapter will be up faster than this one. **

**I find writing Eren in this type of setting so easy, his personality fits in so well with a WWII AU, haha, anyway, ****I want to add that the fic is going to have quite a slow start...so, I hope you didn't find this chapter too boring. **


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